Thanos Week: Funny Stuff (?): "The Cat and the Cosmic Cube" by Sullivan, Siporin, and/or Salicrup, Mortimer, and Esposito

Behold, Thanos' shame, Groove-ophiles. Ol' Groove knows that you know, Groove-ophiles, that some humor is intentional and some is not (yers trooley proves that quite often here...). One has to wonder about stories like "The Cat and the Cosmic Cube" from Spidey Super Stories #39 (December 1978). Yeah, the mag was written for kids (young kids at that), but c'mon! Had writer(s) Nick Sullivan, Michael Siporin, and/or Jim Salicrup (we're not sure which one--or which combo--actually wrote this story) EVER read a comic with Thanos in it before they wrote this crazy comic? Thanos is in a helicopter (complete with his name stenciled on it) chasing The Cat (actually Patsy Walker, Hellcat, but that name was NOT going into a comic produced in conjunction with Children's Television Workshop, baby) who somehow has the Cosmic Cube (that's "Tesseract" to you young'uns) in her possession (is there a prequel to this story in another issue and I missed it somehow?). So surreal and silly--intentionally or not? You be the judge! Art by the regular SSS team of Win Mortimer and Mike Esposito...

Cover art by Al Milgrom (and Mike Esposito?)

Don't worry. Thanos gets his dignity back tomorrow, Groove-ophiles!

Groove's Faves: "Stampede!" by Fite, Starlin, Weiss, and McLaughlin

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Here's another one of those comics in which the art saves a kinda silly story from being a total flop. Not that Linda Fite was a bad writer, it's just the whole idea of controlling bulls to...well, you'll just have to read it for yourself. Funny, when I was a Young Groove I thought Man-Bull was a pretty far-out baddie. Can't figure out why I thought that after reading this tale from Claws of the Cat #4 (March 1973). The art combo of Jim Starlin, Alan Weiss, and Frank McLaughlin was very enjoyable to me, though. Looks like Starlin layouts throughout, but most of the figures--except for Man-Bull and his alter-ego which look very Starlin-esque--look like Weiss' handiwork. The gals, especially Greer (the Cat) Nelson, have that long, lean Weiss look to 'em. McLaughlin's inks were heavy, but I think they complimented Starlin quite well, and weren't bad on Alan. Anyway, turn off your brain and let your eyes enjoy "Stampede" from the final issue of Claws of the Cat...

If You Blinked You Missed: Beware! The Claws of the Cat

In 1972 Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee decided that the time was right to initiate a line of comicbooks featuring female leads. Women's Lib was huge, especially in the hearts and minds of the collegiate readers so near and dear to Stan's heart. He didn't wasn't happy with the straight romance comics Marvel was producing because, let's face it, Stan's thing was superheroes, action, and adventure. He dug it, and he knew his fans dug it. So newly-crowned editor-in-chief Roy Thomas was given the task to take the concepts Stan had dreamed up, The Cat, Shanna the She-Devil, and Night Nurse and make 'em into comicbook reality. Stan had especially high hopes for the lone straight-out superheroine in the bunch, Greer Nelson, aka the Cat.

Written by the soon-to-be-Mrs. Herb (Incredible Hulk) Trimpe, Linda Fite with art by the incomparable team of penciler Marie Severin and inker Wally Wood, The Claws of the Cat #1 (August 1972) had all the earmarks of another hit for Marvel. A likable, realistic, tragic lead character thrust into the role of a superhero. Story wise and art wise, The Cat #1 was a wonderfully crafted tale that could have come straight from Marvel's Silver Age heyday, but given a "modern" 1970s sensibility. Fite's plot was heart-wrenching and moody; her dialogue straight from the Roy Thomas/Gerry Conway/Denny O'Neil school of "relevance". The art by Severin and Wood was lush and as moody as Fite's story. It should have been a smash-hit.

Unfortunately, the magic that made that first issue so special quickly began to unravel. When issue #2 (October 1972) hit the stands, Wally Wood was gone, with veteran Supergirl artist Jim Mooney replacing him on the inks. With issue #3 (January 1973), an entirely new art team, Paty Greer and Bill Everett was on board. Issue #4's (March 1973) art was by the combined talents of Jim Starlin, Alan Weiss, and Frank McLaughlin. So, while the art on each issue was excellent, it was, mildly put, inconsistent. It's hard to build an audience when the character's look changes--sometimes drastically--from issue to issue. (That's not even taking into account the legendary unpublished Ramona Fradon story.)

The other problem was that, while Fite's writing chops were pretty sharp, her choices of villains left much to be desired. Two "B"-list Daredevil villains (The Owl in #2 and Man-Bull in #4) and a "C"-list Sub-Mariner villain (Commander Kraken) didn't do a thing to help The Cat establish any type of identity. Lack of a good supporting cast also kept the book from living up to its potential.

In Stan Lee's own words (from the Superhero Women, 1977), "We blew it."

Though The Claws of the Cat faded into comicbook oblivion, Greer Nelson wasn't forgotten. Months later she'd be mutated and elevated to the role of Tigra, the Were-Woman and become a mainstay in the Marvel Universe, appearing in everything from the Fantastic Four to Spider-Woman to the Avengers.